This is a long-term decision disguised as a small one. A barrel takes one lead diameter and a tube bought for another will jam or rattle, so a drawer of mixed refills becomes useless. Finer leads suit technical work and snap under pressure; wider ones are more forgiving for note taking. Grade sits on top of that. See mechanical pencil leads, drawing pencils and erasers.

Mechanical pencils and lead refills arranged with technical drawings on a bright white workspace.